Wednesday, June 25, 2014

Hello all! Well, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – I enjoy summers SO much more the older I get. I think it has a lot to do with the fact that my kiddo is in school now so I cherish the long, warm days all the more. But part of it is that I just appreciate our wonderful outdoor spaces more after a long, hard winter. We all know this past winter was one of those times five.

My thing when hosting anything outdoors is to buy as little as possible specifically for outdoors. ;) I do have some outdoor plates, but beyond that I try to use items that can be used both inside and out. And even more so, I like to find ways to make regular home decor items work for entertaining.

We plan to host a few outdoor parties this summer so I was excited when Kirkland’s asked me to showcase some of their items for a summer soiree:

I LOVE those drink dispensers and was actually quite pleased with them – some of these can be finicky – they drip and malfunction a lot. But these did great. And I love that there are two and a stand for both of them!

Here’s something weird about me -- now that I’ve given up soda I don’t drink caffeine at all anymore – I’ve never liked coffee or tea. But I tried this sweet tea that my husband loves and I liked it. It was really good. What is happening to me?? Liking both summer and tea now? I’m a whole new person. I’ve always thought the idea of sipping some iced tea on a hot summer day sounded so sweet and now I may just try it. :)

So as I mentioned, my favorite part of outdoor entertaining is figuring out how to make regular indoor home decor work outside. I used one of their kitchen decor items (this cute beverage bottle) as a vase for my hydrangeas:

It has a lid that seals well but flips open like a vintage bottle – love it!

Napkins are always flying away in the wind so this was a perfect solution! The chalkboard part is just black vinyl stuck on the glass – super easy and works just great as a chalkboard! (I use a chalkboard pen so I can easily wipe it off.)

I have to talk about the chalkboard a bit more cause it’s adorable. Their drink dispensers come with the chalkboard labels on chains:

And even some chalk! :)

A decorative basket corrals the plates easily – this would perfect when using paper plates outside too. It keeps them away from the wind and the elements:

And the basket was useful in another way too – I was able to fill it up with most of the serving items and carry them out and back in easily:

It’s the little things. :)

It’s been a while since I’ve visited Kirkland’s and I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. Everything was seriously adorable and the prices were fantastic:

Kirkland’s is offering $250 to one of you to spend as you wish at their store or online! That will go a crazy long way. Check out the other beautiful outdoor entertaining ideas at Beneath My Heart, Home Stories A to Z and Just a Girl as well.

You can enter the giveaway by using this Rafflecopter doodad below. It’s easier and more private than leaving your email in the comments. Have fun and good luck! :)

Kirkland’s partnered with several bloggers to raise brand awareness and all received compensation in gift cards. All purchases and content are on my own accord and reflect my personal opinion and style.